Cuban Artist Alejandro Galindo Brings Whimsical Wieners to World Erotic Art Museum

By Camille Lamb Tue., Aug. 30 2011 at 11:00 AM

Categories: Art

Alejandro Galindo

Burn that Bush.

If it makes you nervous to hear the words "surreal" and "sex objects" in the same sentence, relax; Cuban artist Alejandro Galindo's uh, penetrating and imaginative depictions come in non-threatening 2-D form.

They're far from impotent, however. His "phallo-centric" oil paintings all feature penis portraits that vary from "peek-a-boo" to "in your face" portrayals of the male sex organ. The artist's renderings range from surprising and eclectic juxtapositions (for example, a piece that features a penis as a lighthouse, surrounded by naked female bodies that constitute the terrain, from which grows a high, unruly grass that is actually pubic hair) to others that resemble well-drawn erotic comic books (a bull wielding a well-endowed "member" laughs itself to tears at a matador's comparatively diminutive package).

His work will be displayed in an exhibition titled Whimsical Fantasies at the World Erotic Art Museum (WEAM), where curator and owner, Naomi Wilzig, says the artist "exposed" her to his portfolio at a particularly opportune time.

Alejandro Galindo

A penis lights the way in one of Galindo's paintings.

"He came along just when the news about the congressman named Weiner showing his wiener came out," Wilzig says, referring to the sexting scandal in which former U.S. representative Anthony Weiner sent explicit photos of himself to several young women through Twitter. "And curiously enough, what [Galindo] had done is all these funny images where the star of each painting was a funny phallus. So it just struck my fancy that they were whimsical wieners," she said.

She says she admired the artist's impressive talent, as well as his playful use of phallic imagery. "You've heard of Gulliver's Travels where the giant is tied down to all the little figures? Well he's got a penis tied down to a lot of little penises. It's just charming," Wilzig said.

Not packing much heat.

The artist was born in Havana in 1945 and began a passionate exploration of the arts at an early age. As a young adult, he was forced into exile in Spain, where he exhibited his work in Madrid and many other cities. In recent years, his paintings have been featured in several galleries and exhibitions in Miami and New York. He also writes, builds props, and designs sets for Miami's Havanafama Theatrical Company.

Wilzig says that the artist's biography is evident in his work. "You'll see that the artist enjoyed what he was doing because it comes out in his exuberance for life in his paintings. Having come from a background of having to leave different countries and things, you see the joy of life suddenly, in his paintings, where he's free at last."

Galindo's show, "Whimsical Fantasies," will be featured at WEAM (1205 Washington Ave., Miami Beach) from September 1st to 26th. Admission is included in the $15 entrance fee to the museum.

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